The Battle of Tastar Taught Tawheed.

Companions did not ask for help from the body of the Prophet Daniel (upon him be peace) that was found. Rather, they asked al-Bara’ bin Malik to pray to Allah.

روى التّرمذيّ من طريق ثابت وعلي بن زيد، عن أنس أن النبيّ صلّى اللَّه عليه وسلم قال: ربّ أشعث أغبر لا يؤبه له لو أقسم على اللَّه لأبرّه، منهم البراء بن مالك ـ فلما كان يوم تستر من بلاد فارس انكشف الناس، فقال المسلمون: يا براء، أقسم على ربك! فقال: أقسم عليك يا رب لما منحتنا أكتافهم، وألحقتني بنبيّك، فحمل وحمل الناس معه فقتل مرزبان الزّارة من عظماء الفرس، وأخذ سلبه، فانهزم الفرس، وقتل البراء

Al-Tirmidhi narrated that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:

“There are many poor and neglected people if one of them were to make an oath to Allah, Allah would accept it. Among them is al-Bara’ ibn Malik.”

Later, during a battle in Tustar, Persia, when Muslims were facing defeat, they reminded al-Bara’ of the Prophet’s words and asked him to ask Allah for help.

Al-Bara’ then prayed:

“O Allah, I ask You to grant us victory over our enemies and let me join Your Prophet.”

He then bravely led a charge, killed a powerful Persian commander, and took his weapons. The Muslims won the battle, but al-Bara’ was killed and became a martyr.

This is also narrated in Al-Mustadrak (3/291) by Al-Hakim who graded it authentic, and Al-Dhahabī agreed with him.

2. This contrasts with what Caliph Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) did with the body of Daniel (upon him be peace), which people were using to seek rain.

Mutarrif ibn Maalik said:

شَهِدْتُ فَتْحَ تُسْتَرَ مَعَ الْأَشْعَرِيِّ , قَالَ : فَأَصَبْنَا دَانْيَالَ بِالسُّوسِ , قَالَ : فَكَانَ أَهْلُ السُّوسِ إِذَا أَسْنَتُوا أَخْرَجُوهُ فَاسْتَسْقَوْا بِهِ , وَأَصَبْنَا مَعَهُ سِتِّينَ جَرَّةً مُخَتَّمَةً ,

I was present at the conquest of Tastar with al-Ash‘ari. We came across (the body of) Daniyal in as-Soos. When the people of as-Soos were faced with drought, they would bring him out and pray for rain by virtue of him. We found with him sixty sealed jars…[Ibn Abi Shaybah (7/4) Islamqa]

Another narration by Anas bin Maalik (radiallah anhu) states:

أنهم لما فتحوا تستر قال: فوجد رجلا أنفه ذراع في التابوت , كانوا يستظهرون ويستمطرون به , فكتب أبو موسى إلى عمر بن الخطاب بذلك , فكتب عمر: «إن هذا نبي من الأنبياء والنار لا تأكل الأنبياء , والأرض لا تأكل الأنبياء , فكتب أن انظر أنت وأصحابك يعني أصحاب أبي موسى فادفنوه في مكان لا يعلمه أحد غيركما» قال: فذهبت أنا وأبو موسى فدفناه

“When the Sahaabah conquered Tustar. They found the body of a man in a coffin whose nose was (as big as) an arm. The natives used to seek dominance and rain from him (by exposing his body to the sky as explained in the narration above). So Abu Moosa wrote a letter to Umar ibn al-Khattaab explaining him the situation. So Umar wrote back saying: Indeed this is a Prophet from the Prophets. The fire does not eat the Prophets, nor does the earth. Umar told him and his companions to search and bury him in a place about which no one would have the knowledge of other than them. He said: So me and Abu Moosa went and buried him.” [Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah (33819), Translated by Raza Hasan]

حفرنا بالنهار ثلاثة عشر قبراً متفرقة فلما كان الليل دفناه وسوينا القبور كلها لتعمية على الناس لا ينبشونه

“We dug in the river bank thirteen separate graves. At nightfall we buried him and leveled all the graves in order to mislead people for they would tamper with him.”

[Narrated by Ibn Abi Dunya, Muhammad bin Ishaq in al-Maghazi, and Al-Bayhaqi in Dala’il an-Nubuwwah (1/381). It is also mentioned in the English translation of Hadiya tul Mustafeed (page 226), cited by Ibn Kathir in his Stories of the Prophets (authenticated), and by Shaykh al-Albani in Fada’il ash-Sham wa Dimashq (page 18, authenticated). Ibn ‘Abdul Hadi mentions it in as-Sarim al-Munki, where the verifier (Muhaqqiq) of the book, Aqeel al-Maqtaree, stated: “The chain of this story is Hasan (good).” as-Sarim al-Munki, page 170.]

Ibn Katheer Authenticated in the stories of the Prophet and said:

وَهَذَا إِسْنَادٌ صَحِيحٌ إِلَى أَبِي الْعَالِيَةِ، وَلَكِنْ إِنْ كَانَ تَارِيخُ وَفَاتِهِ مَحْفُوظًا مِنْ ثَلَاثِمِائَةِ سَنَةٍ فَلَيْسَ بِنَبِيٍّ بَلْ هُوَ رَجُلٌ صَالِحٌ، لِأَنَّ عِيسَى بن مَرْيَمَ لَيْسَ بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ نَبِيٌّ بِنَصِّ الْحَدِيثِ الَّذِي فِي الْبُخَارِيِّ، وَالْفَتْرَةُ الَّتِي كَانَتْ بَيْنَهُمَا أَرْبَعُمِائَةِ سَنَةٍ، وَقِيلَ سِتُّمِائَةٍ وَقِيلَ سِتُّمِائَةٍ وَعِشْرُونَ سَنَةً، وَقَدْ يَكُونُ تَارِيخُ وَفَاتِهِ مِنْ ثَمَانِمِائَةِ سَنَةٍ وَهُوَ قَرِيبٌ مِنْ وَقْتِ دَانْيَالَ، إِنْ كَانَ كَوْنُهُ دَانْيَالَ هُوَ الْمُطَابِقَ لِمَا فِي نَفْسِ الْأَمْرِ، فَإِنَّهُ قَدْ يَكُونُ رَجُلًا آخَرَ إِمَّا مِنَ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ أَوِ الصَّالِحِينَ، وَلَكِنْ قَرُبَتِ الظُّنُونُ أَنَّهُ دَانْيَالُ لِأَنَّ دَانْيَالَ كَانَ قَدْ أَخَذَهُ مَلِكُ الْفُرْسِ فَأَقَامَ عِنْدَهُ مَسْجُونًا كَمَا تَقَدَّمَ.

وَقَدْ رُوِيَ بِإِسْنَادٍ صَحِيحٍ إِلَى أَبِي الْعَالِيَةِ أَنَّ طُولَ أَنْفِهِ شِبْرٌ، وَعَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ بِإِسْنَادٍ جَيِّدٍ أَنَّ طُولَ أَنْفِهِ ذِرَاعٌ، فَيَحْتَمِلُ عَلَى هَذَا أَنْ يَكُونَ رَجُلًا مِنَ الانبياء الاقدمين قبل هَذِه المدد.

“The chain of citation from Abul Aa’lia is good, but if the date of the dead man’s death was really three hundred years, then he was not a prophet but a saintly Man, because there was no prophet between Isa (Jesus)(pbuh), and the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), according to the hadith in Bukhari. The span between them (the dead man and Muhammad (pbuh)) was variously reported as four hundred, six hundred, and six hundred twenty years. It could be that he had died eight hundred years earlier, which would be near to Daniel’s time, if his being Daniel is correct. However, he could still have been somebody else, either a prophet or a saint. Yet the truth is more likely he was Daniel, because he had been taken by the King of Persia and remained imprisoned as already mentioned.

It was narrated with a correct citation that his nose as one span (nine inches) long. Anas Ibn Malik, with a good citation, said that his nose was an arm’s stretch long (two feet), on which basis he is thought to be an ancient prophet from before this period. Almighty Allah knows best.” [Qasas al Anbiya uner the Story of Danial Aleh salam]

Ibn Katheer Mentioned under the commentary of Surah Al Kahaf Ayah 21

It is narrated from Commander of the faithful `Umar bin Al-Khattab

أنه لما وجد قبر دانيال في زمانه بالعراق، أمر أن يخفى عن الناس، وأن تدفن تلك الرقعة التي وجدوها عنده، فيها شيء من الملاحم وغيرها.

This clearly proves that the Sahaba never asked for help from prophets or righteous people after their death. In fact, they concealed the grave to prevent people from seeking rain through it. Instead, they asked a man who was a true ally of Allah (wali) who was alive and present to supplicate for them.

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (rahimullah) said:
“The Companions denied and rejected the actions of such people (i.e., seeking the blessings and intercession of the deceased and glorifying them after their death). Therefore, whoever goes to a certain place seeking its blessings, this is rejected in Islam and is also prohibited.”
[Hadiyat al-Mustafeed, Commentary on Kitab at-Tawheed, p. 227, English Translation]

Note: When Muslim leaders feared the Mongols, Ibn Taymiyyah took an oath that the Muslims would win, and that is exactly what happened. Mulla Ali al-Qari stated that Ibn Taymiyyah and his student Ibn al-Qayyim were among the Awliya’ (allies) of Allah.